# Growing Pains (1985)

> A suburban Long Island father takes over the housework and childcare while his wife returns to journalism, and his teenage kids test his patience.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/47

## Facts

- Seasons: 7
- Episodes: 166
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, family
- Created by: Neal Marlens
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Kirk Cameron, Tracey Gold, Jeremy Miller, Ashley Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Candace Cameron Bure
- TMDB rating: 6.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088527/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: warm, comforting, wholesome, earnest, gently comic

## What critics say

Audiences remember the series as a warm, mixed-reception family sitcom whose appeal rests on its close-knit household and familiar comic routines.

## Synopsis

Growing Pains (1985-1992) is an American family sitcom created by Neal Marlens for ABC. Alan Thicke plays Jason Seaver, a Long Island psychiatrist who takes over the cooking, cleaning and childminding when his wife Maggie (Joanna Kerns) returns to journalism after fifteen years as a homemaker. Their teenage and younger children, Mike (Kirk Cameron), Carol (Tracey Gold), Ben (Jeremy Miller) and Chrissy (Ashley Johnson), supply most of the friction, from school crushes and sibling rivalry to the everyday negotiations of a busy household. Each week is a self-contained half-hour built from household mishaps, small dilemmas and warm resolutions, with the family's home at the center of nearly every storyline. Across seven seasons and 166 episodes, the show stays with one family as its members grow up and adjust to changing roles. The tone is earnest, cozy and gently comic, with a sincere interest in parenting and everyday decency. Fans of The Wonder Years, Family Ties and Eight Is Enough will find the same mix of domestic comedy and heartfelt family moments. Its suburban 1980s setting gives the series a nostalgic, comforting texture.

## Shows like Growing Pains

- [Eight Is Enough (1977)](https://ember.film/tv/4165)
- [thirtysomething (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/1364)
- [Who's the Boss? (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/599)
- [Empty Nest (1988)](https://ember.film/tv/2682)
- [Surviving Jack (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54224)
- [Silver Spoons (1982)](https://ember.film/tv/1967)
- [The Wonder Years (1988)](https://ember.film/tv/4280)
- [Man with a Plan (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/59115)
- [My Two Dads (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/1758)
- [The Brady Bunch (1969)](https://ember.film/tv/2015)

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